Improvement in the manufacture of sewing-silk



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SEWlNG-SILK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,153, dated April 5,1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J..E. ATWOOD, and G. HOLLAND, of Mansfield, in thecounty of Tolland and State of Connecticut, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in the Manufacture of Sewing-Silk; and we dov herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart .of this specification, in

spondin g parts in the several figures.

In the manufacture of sewingsilk it is essential that the strands orcords, while being twisted to form the thread, be of an equal thicknessthroughout, and the cords or strands also kept at a uniform tension, inorder to form an even or uniform twist of the same. This has nothitherto been perfectly done, and the sewing-silk, after manufacture,yis necessarily sorted and divided into several qualities, according tothe evenness or regularity of the twist. The reason for thisimperfectness of the manufactured article is due, in the first place, tothe stock-the irregularity in the imported thread, the filaments ofwhich as they are unwound from the cocoons are not watched and kept inan even state, filalnents not being added to compensate for breakage andtheir gradual diminishing. thickness as they are unwound from thecocoons. Another reason is carelessness in the matching operation-thatis, the twisting of the cords or strandsto form the thread of silk.

The duty of the attendant of the matchingframe consists in watching thecords or strands as they are unwound from the spools or bobbins andtwisted, and if one cord or strand becomes thinner or thicker thananother, to break it oi' and put another in its place equal in thicknessto those on the frame. It' this be neglectedand it almost invariably isto a greater or less extent-uneven thread is the result. To obviatethese difficulties, we subject the silk, after being twisted andmoistened, and before being deprived of its natural gum, to as great astate of tension as it will bear without danger of breaking, and therebydraw or stretch the several cords or strands so as to form an even andfirst quality of merchantabl'e thread. l

In carrying out this invention the means employed are extremely simple.Two reels or drums, A A', (see Figs. l and 2), are employed,theperipheries of which move with unequal speeds, caused either byhaving the reels or drums connected by gears of different diameters orby having a belt, B, pass over pulleys a a' of different diameters, orby having gears or pulleys of equal diameter and one reel or drumsmaller in diameter than the other. The silk, properly moistened, iswound upon 'the reel or drum having the slowest motion, and is thenconnected to the periphery of that having the quicker motion, f

and wound upon the latter from the former, the difference in the speedof the reels or drums causing the silk to be stretched or drawn so as topresent an even or smooth surface.

By referring to Fig. 3 the end accomplished by our invention will beclearly understood. c c represent the cords or strands of a piece ofsewing-silk, one, c, being thicker than the other, c'. During thetwisting of these cords or threads the thicker thread, c, will, onaccount of not being quite, so iiexible as the thinner one, c', haveless twist than the-latter, c having the appearamce of being wound uponc. This not only gives a rough unsightly appearanceto the thread, butgreatly deteriorates it for actual use. It is liable to cut and injurethe fabric which is sewed with it, and does not receive the dye or coloras well as if it were smooth, and consequently will lack luster andvividness. This unevenness in the twist is also produced in a greateruniform appearance. Thus by this simple means sewing-silk of a poorquality may be made of `the first merehantdble class, the care cned, andbefore bein g deprived of itsnatural hitherto required in matching;avoided7 and a gum, to n requisite degree of tension, in the grea-tsaving lhereby effected. manner substantially as herein seb forth.

Having thus described our invention, what T E ATWOOD We claim as new,and desire to secure by Let- HOLLAND ters Patent, is- A 4 The process ofgiving sewing-silk a uni- Witnesses I form or evenlytwisted appearanceby snbject- J AMES H. HOLLAND, l ing the same, after being twisted andmoist- ARTHUR XV. BARR.

